Legend of the Mist
by Nite
Summary: The struggle of two great forces...courage and power.


FINAL FANTASY IX: THE LEGEND OF THE MIST  
(INTRODUCTION)  
by: Nite  
  
Author's Note: Just a small bit of info for ya here. No, I don't claim to own anything from FF9, but I'd appreciate it if you guys would not go using my sequel ideas. I do hope this does spur some people into writing sequels to such a great game! Anyway, I have taken my time this weekend to re-edit my story and add a little more helpful information if you were lost when reading this. I will be changing this from time to time, looking for some errors that people point out or to make the story better. Other than that, what you see here is the basic storyline. I hope you enjoy reading it and thank you for your support.  
~Nite  
  
The History of Gaia  
Note: For those of you who are confused allow me to tell you a little bit about this story. This story takes place 150 years after the reign of Queen Garnet. All of the characters that I will be using in this fan-fiction were made up by my own mind for entertainment only, not profit.   
"When Queen Garnet's 65-year reign came to an end…Queen Rose took to the throne. She was somehow a distant cousin of the Queen, however none of this is important. What is important is that 50 years into her rule a war between Alexandria and Burmecia erupted. This war was to last 7 years. What Alexandria and Burmecia were fighting over…nobody knows. However, we do know that the sudden appearance on the 7th year of the war caused both kingdoms to sign a treaty and once again ally together against such an evil entity."  
"I am sure you've already heard about the mist and how a brave young man named Zidane and his friends rid the world of it all. That, unfortunately was not true for the mist returned some 75 years ago when I was still, but a young mage. In those days people everywhere lived in fear. Monsters killed the young men that were brave enough to face danger, they feasted on our children and they scared us all into hiding. Nobody was young anymore. Our cities, our villages, our kingdoms, our hopes lay shattered under a harsh reality. "  
"Many people believed that it would be the end of our world, that these vile creatures would overrun even Lindblum and kill all what was good in the world. And there were some among us that never gave up even in the face of their own death."  
"I am going to tell you a true story about a boy named Spirit, a boy who always believed himself as insignificant and possibly might have been. This boy along with the help of his friends changed Gaia. They rid the world of the Mist and the accursed Crystal that plagued the world for so long."  
"This is a tale about a boy who found the courage to defy tradition and discover who he truly was at heart, a boy who saw past the exterior of another's skin and perceived them in a different light. This is a tale about how sacrifice and friendship saved the world in which we live in now."  
"Thank you Spirit. Thank you everyone. Without your strength I would have never been able to survive."  
  
~ Drake, Head Black Mage of the Black Mage Village  
  
  
CHAPTER ONE : The Visitor  
" If you go through life trying to please everyone you meet…you will die a miserable person." --- Mr. 354, Current Head Black Mage  
  
I feel so empty and so alone,  
Everyday I just exist.  
Everyone sees right through me as if I were part of the mist.  
No one understands me,  
They don't see me for who I am.  
My heart is filled with sorrow.  
I'm just a boy trapped inside the body of a man.  
~ A poem by Spirit  
  
Spirit, now the age of 15 years old, drug his feet slowly through the snow-laden terrain with much difficulty. The icy winds of winter tugged at the long black cape that hung loosely about his broad shoulders. With each step he took he found himself having to pause in step and pull the cape back up onto his shoulder to keep them from slinking down and off of his bare arms. His teeth began to chatter. The cold nipped at his ears and nose. His white cheeks flushed a light pinkish-red.  
He kept moving forward steadily. The soft white, powdery snow squished beneath the heavy footfalls of his thick black boots. He advanced onward through the dense forest, passing swarms of towering old pines and various other types of trees that are typically found within a forest. He wouldn't stop until he returned home with a dragon's tooth or two. He smiled triumphantly to himself. The young man approached the edge of the forest. His boots sank into the glittering white sands   
of the Outer Continent. Spirit stood there, huddled under the thick black cloak. He pulled it tightly to his body in an attempt to keep himself warm. His blue eyes scanned the sandy blankets for any signs of activity. He knew there had to be a Grand Dragon somewhere around there. He would bring back a necklace of its teeth to Tora. He'd prove himself worthy of her praise! He'd show them! He'd show them all that he wasn't a defective being! He was a Genome just like them...well, maybe he had short, black spiked hair and a black tail, but wasn't it what was on the inside of him that counted? He could be just as good, strong and smart as all of the other Genomes could. He just knew it, or at least he longed for it. He waited for two hours, shivering in the cold, his mind only thinking about the kill. Tora would like him now. He'd prove his worth to her, but would she actually come to respect him? He waited still. The air about him howled even more loudly than before. He looked up toward the blackish-gray sky blanketed with big, soft, dirty looking clouds. 'Like smoke.' He thought to himself and turned his attentions toward a high-pitched scream behind him. He was thinking it had come from within the forest. On sheer instinct, his head quickly turned and looked over his left shoulder. He saw nothing. The world around him was silent save for the howling wind that had just begun to die down. Spirit pulled his mage hat down over his eyes, shadowing them to protect them from the stinging blasts of snow that whipped at his pale face unmercifully as he turned around toward where he had heard the scream coming from .As he grew closer, the sounds seemed more familiar to him. Clad in his oversized black mage outfit (for he had been raised by Black Mages), Spirit tried to run at his top speed, hoping to reach whomever it was before they suffered even more. His heavy boots crushing the snowy powder beneath him, exposing small patches of grass. His entire face stung from the cold. He raced past several trees and tore into a clearing. He stopped, gasping for breath. He licked his dry, chapped lips, " What the hell?" He turned around several times, his cloak fluttering freely with the now gentle breeze. Spirit was puzzled. He   
could have sworn he'd heard someone screaming! He knew for sure that he wasn't crazy. " Hello?" His voice was rather young and soft, but it was deep enough to sound like a man's. "Oh...help me! Help me Spirit!" Someone mocked in fear from above. There was a roar of laughter. Spirit glared upwards angrily into the treetops at the group of Genomes perched there. His eyes were burning like twin blue flames. He recognized them right away. They were Tora and her friends. "So what's Mr. Hero doing now? Looking for another Grand Dragon?" One of the males sneered. Spirit smiled maliciously at him, " As a matter of fact I am. Would you care to join me Reign?" In the back of his mind he already knew that Reign was a coward. "You take on a Grand Dragon alone?" Tora sneered at him. Her behavior crushed him. Why she hate him so much? Was it because he was different? Spirit nodded, " Why not?"  
The trees rang with high-pitched laughter that sounded like a bunch of squealing pigs to Spirit. Tora spat. She tossed her long, beautiful blonde hair over her slender shoulder. Her blue eyes were colder than the winter itself, " How? Are you going to magic them away with black magic or are you going to get help from that stupid old mage again?" More laughter followed that remark. "SHUT UP!" Spirit snarled, he waved his flame staff menacingly at the five Genomes above, but they pointed their fingers, laughed and started to throw branches and bird's eggs at him. One egg hit him square in the forehead. The stench wafted up into his nose. "STOP IT! STOP IT YOU COWARDS!" He raged. The laughter rang loud in his ears...it was overwhelming. There seemed to be more and more voices crowding around him...suffocating him until it nearly drove him on the verge of insanity, but Spirit collected his thoughts together as calmly as he could. He turned heel and ran, dodging the flying missiles being hurdled at him.  
"Look at him run with his tail between his legs!"  
  
Spirit refused to stop running. The laughter of his entire race echoed loud and clear in his mind. Tora hadn't even given him a chance! All of those months he'd been shyly risking and giving what little he had to her had been done in vain. Tora, the other Genomes...they would never accept him as one of them...even if he had the genes to prove it. His body was becoming extremely exhausted as he stepped out onto the fork in the road where one path leads to the Black   
Mage Village. The trees were now without leaves, but they still had many owls in them. He was so close to home, but he didn't want to go there. What was he going home to anyway? All he would get is Mr. 354, the head black mage of the village sternly lecturing him about leaving the village again. Spirit sank down to his knees and collapsed in the middle of the road. His body was filled with pain. Tears welled up in his eyes. He hugged his waist tightly. ' Why me? Why do they hate me? I don't understand!' He lie there for no more than an hour, going over what he might have done wrong in his life to make them feel like this about him, but he could not provide himself with a reasonable answer. When he had finally snapped back to reality he noticed that the sky was now pitch black. He stood up and paced up and down the dirt road. He didn't know why, but he felt suddenly uncomfortable with who he was. He sighed, " I'm not a Genome, I'm not a Black Mage...I am nothing."  
  
"Um…excuse me sir…" Spirit nearly jumped several feet up into the air. What the heck was anyone doing outside this late?! He turned to face what he guessed was a young lady around his age clad in brown robes. She looked like a monk…either that or she was poor. All Spirit knew was that she couldn't be from around here because she was simply too nice to him. He tried to get a better look at her face, but it was too dark out to tell who she was, " I wouldn't expect a young lady like yourself to be out this late Miss um…say what's your name?"  
"My name is Ciang StarCent." The girl replied in a friendly manner. Spirit nodded, " Well miss StarCent is it? That's odd. I've never met anyone with two names before. The girl laughed, " And this is my first time seeing a boy with a tail." Spirit smiled, " I see what you mean. Oh…by the way, my name is Spirit."  
"Pleased to meet you, Spirit." She held out her hand and he took it. They both shook hand warmly. She's probably the nicest person I've ever met! That's odd though…she doesn't have a tail. Ah…that must mean that she's a human…either from Alexandria or Lindblum I'll wager. He then frowned, " How come you're out here all by yourself?" This was a question that Miss StarCent seemed to want to avoid, " Do you live in this Village?" Spirit nodded , " Yeah. I live with the Head Black Ma-"  
"Really?! Could you take me to him please?" The girl seemed very desperate. He didn't have a clue what was so important to her that she had to go see Mr. 354, but he decided that he would help her out just because he was a nice guy and he guessed she seemed like a nice girl, " Of course, " He said after a little bit of consideration, " follow me."  
"It must be wonderful to live in a place like this. So many nice and interesting people here. Beautiful scenery…" Ciang, Spirit thought probably didn't get out much. He shrugged as they walked through the village past small groups of mages and Genomes, " Yeah, I suppose this seems that way to you, but it does get a little boring after a while. There really isn't much to see here. After a little while you settle into your own little routine and you just kinda…I don't know…exist." Ciang laughed, " Have you been to other places Mister Spirit?"   
"You're interested in what a stranger has to say?" Spirit was amused. Nobody had paid this much attention to him since he was a small child. Ciang sighed, " You seem like an interesting person. I suppose I came here to meet people like you." Spirit smiled as they continued walking toward his home, slowly, " Well, I do remember being told that I was born and raised young in Esto Gaza." Ciang chuckled, " I've heard it's very beautiful there."  
"And cold." Spirit added and then he continued, " I do remember living a small period of time in Treno as a uh…thief and now I'm here." Ciang sighed, " Well, that's more than I can say for myself." Spirit frowned, " Why's that?" Ciang sighed again, this time more deeply, " My parents I suppose. It's one of those, " Have your daughter marry a rich noble two times her age just so she'll bring the family honor."  
Spirit looked at her sympathetically, " Lemme guess, you weren't happy with the fact that your parents had planned your life for you so you ran away to a place where you know that people would respect what you want out of life?"   
"Hey, you're pretty good at guessing things." She smiled. She liked this guy whoever he was. She seemed to notice that there was definitely something different about him aside from all of these other people with tails that she was now seeing. " Why does everyone almost look exactly-"  
"Alike?" Spirit took the word right out of her mouth. They both laughed. " They're Genomes. All Genomes look almost exactly alike. It's just the way we're uh… made." Ciang raised an eyebrow, " Made? Don't you mean born?" Spirit shook his head, " Only humans and Burmecians give birth to young. Genomes and Mages were created to serve some sick purpose long ago. Now we just make them so we won't all die out. Genomes are of course capable of reproduction, but as nastily picky as they are…they tend to only mate their own kind. They have literally no personality at all…it's a waste of time trying to talk to them really."  
"Really? And what about you?"  
"Oh. Me? I'm the oddball Genome. They don't associate with the likes of me. I assume it's because I'm not like them." They came to a small tree house. Spirit opened the oak door for her and closed it behind them as they walked in. " Hang on. I'll go get him. He doesn't like it when strange people walk into his office without knocking." Ciang watched her new acquaintance disappear around the corner into another room inside the small home. It was warm enough inside for her now. She reached up and pulled off her hood. Ciang StarCent despite her low status was quite pretty which was probably why her parents had been lucky enough to convince a Treno Lord that she was "worth" marrying. She was no Princess Garnet, but almost any man would have to agree that she did look decently attractive. Ciang stood no more than 5'4" tall with silky looking black hair that flowed down her back, slightly touching her small shoulders. Her face was usually very fair and white, but when she laughed or had experienced a lot of hard, physical work her face would turn rosy pink that made her look even more beautiful than she normally looked. She had the deepest brown eyes, very dark and round. Her body's shape at the moment was masked, but by the looks of her thin, young face she probably was slender.   
She looked around the room with interest. Such a nice place to live. She thought, smiling to herself. This was so much nicer to her than living back home in Alexandria with all of those dirty male guards whistling and hooting at her not to mention those filthy men in her father's tavern! She wrinkled her nose at the thought of what she had had to live with for 13 years of her 16-year life. A few minutes later, Spirit had returned with a rather tall looking Black Mage dressed in gold and purple robes. His two yellow eyes were shaped like crescent moons turned upside down so they looked like frowns. To Ciang, this gave this mage a very jolly appearance. Spirit stared at her. You could probably guess what was running through his mind. Wow. He thought. She was a lot prettier than he had expected. He practically had to pinch himself three times to be sure this wasn't some wild fantasy he was having. How it was that he had just met someone even prettier than Tora blew his mind and she was nice to him. When she looked his way he turned his head and pretended he had dropped something.   
Ciang had noticed him, but she simply smiled and then looked at the mage. Mr. 354 stood about the same height as Spirit. 5'11". He chuckled a warm greeting to the new visitor, " Welcome to our Village young lady. I am Mr. 354 and you are?" Ciang smiled again, " Ciang StarCent from Alexandria. Pleased to meet you Mr. 354."  
"Likewise Miss StarCent." The mage bowed, " I trust you have met Spirit."  
"Oh. Yes sir. He helped me here." She turned to Spirit who was clearly pretending not to notice a thing, " Thank you." She smiled at him. Spirit smiled back at her. His heart was pounding hard in his chest, his tongue was tied and there was a lump in his throat that prevented him from so much as uttering a noise. All he could think of was how all of these years why the fates hadn't allowed him to meet such an angel any earlier, but he silently thanked Alexander in his mind for giving him such an opportunity now…  
(To be continued)   
  
I am not done with this story/ chapter yet. I realize there are many things that I have to fix. I'll get to that as soon as I can. I also know that my story does not seem to have much of a story yet. I'm working on it. Please bear with me here. 


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